Content Warning: This article contains discussions about murder and videos that depict violence and trauma.
Despite already airing on BBC, the 6-part mystery drama series Chloe hit Netflix on June 24, 2022. Billed as a psychological thriller about the obsessive ramifications social media can have, the story centers on Becky, a wayward young woman who becomes entangled in the Instagram profile of a recently deceased woman named Chloe and uses another woman's social media to assume a new identity and find answers.
While drawing comparisons to movies like The Talented Mr. Ripley, Chloe also s an intriguing roster of psychological TV thrillers and dramatic mysteries that onish viewers about the perils of social media, the obsession with fame, and the devastating consequences they can have on young people in particular.
Inventing Anna (2022)
Stream On Netflix
Julia Garner gives a magnetic turn as Anna Delvey in the 9-part Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, one of the biggest real-life Instagram hucksters on record. Delvey notoriously used the popular social media platform to trick wealthy New York socialites that she was an influential German heiress, and bilked many out of a fortune by keeping up the charade online.
Both Inventing Anna and Chloe feature female lead characters who use Instagram to trick the masses by assuming a new identity and using their newfound freedom to enjoy a vicariously glitzy lifestyle that is far better than their dreary daily existence. Both serve as cautionary tales about the manipulative and untrustworthy nature of fabricating online profiles for personal gain.
Pieces Of Her (2022)
Stream On Netflix
Also a self-contained 6-part miniseries, Pieces of Her focuses on the mysterious identity of Laura Oliver (Toni Collette), a seemingly normal suburban mother who demonstrates violent heroism when she saves her daughter, Andy's (Bella Heathcote), life. Afterward, Andy unravels the cryptic past of her mother very much like Becky does with Chloe, using whatever social media intel she can gather to find answers.
While more of a thrilling psychological mystery than a techno-thriller, Pieces of Her does a good job of exploring how the news media can shape crime narratives, ultimately becoming a tender mother-daughter story studded by another terrific performance by Toni Collette.
Clickbait (2021)
Stream On Netflix
A perfect companion piece to watch along with Chloe is Netflix's 8-part miniseries Clickbait, which directly charts how social media perpetuates the absolute worst impulses in human depravity. The story concerns Nick Brewer (Adrien Grenier), a family man who goes missing and suddenly appears in a viral hostage video in which he holds a saying claiming he will die if he the video receives 5 million online views.
Loaded with unforeseen twists and turns, the naughtily knotty yarn may take the consequential harm of internet fame to the extreme, but it does make the same point Chloe does, which is to never trust anyone online when it comes to their identity.
You (2018 -)
Stream On Netflix
Penn Badgley gives a memorably unsettling turn in You, in which he portrays Joe Goldberg, an infatuated stalker who inveigles his way into the lives of the females he obsesses over by manipulating social media and technology to predict their every move. Creepy, provocative, and morally murky, the show presents far more questions than answers.
Yet, much like Becky in Chloe, Joe assumes different identities as he continues his obsessive ways, descending into violence and darkness the further entangled he becomes in his grand charade (with social media enabling and emboldening his duplicitous nature). Both series are stark reminders that social media can drive people apart just as fast as they can bring them together.
The Dropout
Stream On Hulu
The Dropout. Amanda Seyfried stars as Elizabeth Holmes, the real-life founder of Theranos, a complete huckster who used old and new media avenues to trick the world into believing that it had a revolutionary new biotech company.
The highly-acclaimed show offers a staggering portrayal of ambition, avarice, deceit, and the obsession to succeed by pretending to be someone they're not. It also shows the grand toll such a fall from grace can have when their public image is exposed for they truly are, all themes that resonate in Chloe.
Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
Stream On Prime Video
Currently rated #185 on IMDb's Top 250 TV Shows of All Time, Mr. Robot stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a deeply troubled computer hacker who hacks into the various lives of others (something Becky can relate to quite a bit).
While less of a murder mystery and more of a political cybersecurity crime thriller, the more adept Elliot becomes, the more opportunity he has to make a positive societal change. At its core, the show warns of the dangers that technology, the internet, and social media can have on deeply isolated and alienated individuals.
Black Mirror (2011 - Present)
Stream On Netflix
While Netflix's hit sci-fi anthology series The all-time great season 3 episode "Nosedive" is especially salient in the way it prioritizes people, like Lacie's (Bryce Dallas Howard) craven desire to be accepted, adored, and completely dependent on a social media following.
The unnerving story is set in a future where people are given a 1-5 star rating based on every interaction they encounter, the results of which add up and directly impact the citizens' socioeconomic standing. A scathing indictment of humanity's need to be liked, followed, and positively reassured at every turn, Becky is bound to face her own nosedive in Chloe.
The Victim (2019 -)
Stream On BritBox
Another ideal recent British crime miniseries to watch along with Chloe includes The Victim, which features a magnificent performance by Kelly Macdonald. The Scottish actor plays Anna Dean, a grief-stricken mother who is accused of brutally attacking a man named Craig after he is mistaken for a child killer in an online post. As Anna tries to prove her innocence, she's reminded of the death of her son 15 years prior.
Aside from the excellent performance and British sensibilities sure to go well with Chloe, the spread of online rumors and inaccurate social media profiles that are rebuked as societal dangers really resonate as a cautionary tale.
The Girl Before (2021 - Present)
Stream On HBO Max
The HBO Max original miniseries The Girl Before also plays to the Hitchcockian conventions of Rebecca, making the tone, tenor, and structure of the show quite simpatico to Chloe. Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as Jane, a woman who moves into a minimalist techno-friendly house, where she slowly begins to physically and emotionally identify with a woman who died there three years prior.
Deep-seated anxieties, paranoia, and mistrust begin to brew in Jane's mental state as she starts to unravel the core mystery of the futuristic home equipped with a creepy AI servant. While social media plays less of a factor in the outcome, the obsessive nature of solving the primary murder is as psychologically trying as can be.
Behind Her Eyes (2021 - Present)
Stream On Netflix
Behind Her Eyes is another well-regarded and female-centric British psychological thriller that deals with themes of secrecy, hidden identity, traumatic pasts, and abject murder. The story follows Louise (Simona Brown), a single mother whose life is upended when she begins an affair with a married man before forging a strange bond with his wife, Adele (Eve Hewson).